Bay Of Apalachicola

New Orleans To Apalachicola Bay (LOC)

Let us now see in what manner the British began to execute their hostile designs against Louisiana. In
the course of the summer of 1814, the brig Orpheus had landed arms and officers in the bay of Apalachicola, and entered into arrangements with the Creeks, to act against fort Bowyer at Mobile point, justly looked upon as a place the possession of which was of the greatest importance towards the execution of the grand operations projected against Louisiana.

Crany On Map

Source (LOC)

Plot New Mischief

Baltimore, Maryland, Map, Circa 1781 (LOC)

Source

McArthur And Cass

On the 14th, Hull ordered McArthur and Cass to march with a considerable force to the River Raisin, by an inland trail running back from the border, by the way which has since been known as the Ypsilanti and Tecumseh trail, striking the Raisin some distance up, at Godfroy's trading post.

1826 Map Of Michigan Territory (LOC)
Ypsilanti at the top middle of map; River Raisin at the lower right of map

This road had been taken by General Wayne when he first came to Detroit. Captain Brush had been directed, on the 14th, to go up and meet them. On the 15th, Brock unmasked his battery, and sent over a demand for a surrender, coupled with the stereotyped threat, that if resisted, he could not control the Indians.  [Source]

Reconnoitering Under McArthur

On the 14th [of July] a company of militia and a rifle corps, under colonel M'cArthur, were detached to reconnoitre the country. They penetrated to M'Gregor's mills, upon the river La Tranche, or Thames, a short distance from the field of battle where the British army was captured fifteen months afterwards by general Harrison. On the 17th, they returned to camp, having collected a great quantity of provisions, and a number of blankets, besides a considerable quantity of ammunition and other military stores.

1812 Map Including The Thames River In Canada (LOC)

That part of Upper Canada traversed by the detachment is described by one of the volunteers that composed it as extremely fertile and beautiful. The fields of wheat and Indian corn were remarkably fine; but as every male capable of bearing arms had been drafted for the defence of the province, vast quantities of the wheat remained ungathered. [Source]

Captain John Whistler In The Van Buren Papers

Calendar of the papers of Martin Van Buren ...,  By Library of Congress. Manuscript Division, Elizabeth Howard West:

Cared Not To Evade It

Partial Map Of Canada Circa 1805 (LOC)

Source

Fort Brown

Source: LOC

Fort Brown Historical Marker

"Fort Brown was situated on the banks of these rivers 

at the point to the right of the Bridge."

Source

Colorful Map Of Ohio Military Activity

Map near Fort Meigs

Lay In The Black Swamp

General Area Of The Black Swamp In Ohio (Source - LOC)

This rain in January, 1813, was very general, especially in the valley of the Mississippi, for our troops in the northwest under General Harrison at this time, lay in the Black Swamp, some twenty miles beyond Lower Sandusky, where, from the nature of the ground, it was with difficulty that the troops could find dry ground to stand on, much less to sleep on at night. The hardships endured by these men during that winter campaign were such as not only to try men's souls, but to try their mortal bodies also, for many of these brave men died on their way home, and many of them died a lingering death after they reached home, while many of them are still living, and have obtained a bounty land warrant, calling for eighty acres of land, which was obtained under a law passed September 28, 1850, and well they all deserved it, and much more had they got it. [Source]

The Seat Of War In Louisiana And West Florida

Historical memoir of the war in West Florida and Louisiana in 1814-15...[General map of the seat of war in Louisiana and West Florida (excerpt)]:

Captain Mundy's Letter

In addition to the Indians sent to patrol the Huntingdon [Canadian] frontier, Governor Prevost, on the arrival of a few regulars from England in the fall, sent a company of the 8th regiment, under the charge of Captain Mundy, to form a depot of provisions at the junction of the English river with the Chateaugay. The headquarters were on the south bank, opposite Dumochelle's rapids, and the men were quartered upon the habitants.

Chateaugay (Chateauguai) River In Quebec, Canada (LOC)

Capt. Mundy, a Scotchman of excellent character and who was much liked by the settlers, showed great energy in the task entrusted to him. He built a small blockhouse, which he filled with all the wheat and oats he could buy, and made arrangements for the supply of pork, beef, and fodder, if needed. The following letter from him shows how he carried on his operations :

6th November, 1812.

Sir, — I am directed by his excellency the governor-in-chief, to order you to use every method possible for immediately sending down the grain, potash, cattle, &c, the property of any settler who may have quitted his land. You .will also cause, with all exertion in your power, grain of every description, as well as cattle, to be brought below the mouth of the English river, the property of the present settlers, to prevent its falling into the hands of the Americans, who are about to invade this country. I will endeavor to cause a lodgement for it, and, if necessary, a guard to be stationed for its protection. The consequence of non-compliance with this order, will my being obliged to resort to a very painful measure, to wit, that of destroying it on your farms, to prevent the enemy reaping the benefit thereof. You will make this known to any settlers in your neighborhood.

I remain, your most obedient servant,

J. Mundy,
Capt. commanding
[Source]

Caulk's Field (Across The River From Baltimore)

Source

A new map of Virginia with Maryland, Delaware...
Repository
Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C.
Digital Id  

Fort Mims

Source - LOC
Fort Mims - Top Portion Of Map (Centered)

Sketch Of The Action Fought Near Bladensberg

Source

Sketch of the action fought near Bladensberg [i.e. Bladensburg], August 24th, 1814

Ormsby, Thos.

Created / Published [1816]

Notes

-  Oriented with north to the right.

-  Pen-and-ink and watercolor.

-  Available also through the Library of Congress Web site...

-  Imperfect: Tears, stains, mounted on cloth.

Greenleaf's Point Explosion

LOC Source

"...the British were bent on destroying before they left the district [about 24 August 1814]

"A squad of soldiers was on the line of march toward the foundry while the public buildings were burning. They had reached the bridge thrown over the little creek which separates Washington from Georgetown, when they were called to a sudden halt by a tremendous explosion. Soon after a courier came dashing up at full speed, warning them not to cross the bridge; that the explosion just heard was from Greenleaf's Point, a fort on the opposite side of the Potomac from Washington, recently vacated by the Americans. One hundred and fifty British soldiers had been blown up, their mangled remains flying in every direction.

"The fact was, several barrels of powder had been thrown into a dry well by the garrison before leaving, to keep it from falling into the hands of the enemy. The detachment sent over to destroy the fort were dying of thirst and one of the men threw a torch into the well to ascertain if it contained any water, hence the catastrophe. [Source]

Wood River Massacre

"The Indian massacre occurred on the southwest quarter of section five, in Wood River township, Madison county, Illinois, on the 10th day of July, 1814. The persons killed were Mrs. Rachael Reagan and her two children...(Betsey and Timothy)...; two children of Captain Abel Moore's (William and Joel)...; and two children of William Moore's...(John and George)... ." Source

LOC - Wood River Township, Madison , Illinois

Mentioned were a farm now owned by Mrs. William Badley and property now owned by George Cartwright (found the Cartwright property on the map).

Samuel Reid, Naval Hero

Source

Source

A finding aid for the Samuel Chester Reid papers can be found at the Library of Congress site.

A poem touting the heroics of Samuel Reid:

Source

Kosciuszko Armstrong Defends His Father

Some background on the controversy regarding John Armstrong found here.


"...[Armstrong's] attention has lately been called to a work published by Thomas L. McKenney...contains dove-tailed among its chapters one of political reminiscence evidently intended as an attack on the late General Armstrong." 

"He [Colonel McKenney] was the leading member of the famous, or infamous, Georgetown mob Committee who waited on the President in 1814 to demand General Armstrong's removal from office."

Map Of Georgetown (Library Of Congress)

"He stands therefore before the public in a doubtful position denying the existence of a plot of which he was himself one of the most active and unscrupulous agents... ."

From Review of T. L. McKenney's narrative of the causes which, in 1814, led to General Armstrong's resignation of the war office  By Kosciuszko Armstrong [son of General Armstrong].

A Band Of Brothers

From the Library of Congress, First American West: The Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820, a letter written by
Isaac Shelby.

Headquarters

Camp at the mouth of Portage Upon Lake Erie

20th Oct. 1813

The Army having now returned to this place [from the Battle of the Thames].....October 20....united...a Band of Brothers.....

From The Battle of the Thames: In which Kentuckians ...:

"On October 20th the day following their arrival a general order was issued for the troops to return to Kentucky by way of Franklinton (Columbus), at which point those who had received government arms were to deposit them...".